International Spirits Challenge 2015

Rewarding quality, celebrating excellence

Chateau du Tariquet was awarded Individual Distillery of the Year 2014. We are very honoured to receive this award as it is a true recognition of our family's work for the last five generations. Our aunt Maïté and our father Yves have given us passion for the vine, the distillation and the ageing of Bas-Armagnacs. We and the whole team at the estate are very proud that Château du Tariquet won such a fantastic trophy.Rémy Grassa from Responsable ADV Export

Distell is proud to have a distinctly successful track record with the International Spirits Challenge. Winning many trophies over the years has not only affirmed our confidence in our products, but also transferred that confidence to our customers and consumers. Awards from competitions like the International Spirits Challenge are of the utmost importance to our brand communication strategies.Nick Holdcroft

Beam Suntory is delighted to have won the Distiller of the Year Award this year, 4th time in this 5 years, as well as 3 trophies by both Suntory and Beam team. As all of the judges are experts in the industry, we believe that winning awards in this competition is really credible and important. We will continue to pursue for the best quality always.Keita Minari Brand Manager, Japanese Whisky, Beam Suntory EMEA

Accolades from the International Spirits Challenge for the exceptional quality of our products is a phenominal achievement. We pride ourselves on the distinct character and taste of each of our vodkas and we are very pleased that the judges, all global connoisseurs, have commended Belvedere Vodka time and time again.Claire Smith-Warner Head of Spirit Creation Belvedere Vodka

FEB13
Vodka, White Spirits, Tequila & Mezcal, Anise Spirits

MAR 13
Scotch Whisky, World Whiskies

MAY06
Design & Packaging, Marketing

Shipping Information

Shipping can be arranged either through a distributor or you can make arrangements independently.

How many bottles should I send?

Please send in TWO bottles per brand entered for the Tasting Competition.

ONE bottle per brand is required for the Design & Packaging and Marketing Awards. If entering a product range, please send ONE bottle for every product in the range.

Gold medalists and Trophy winners may be asked to supply further samples for the ISC Awards Dinner on July 8th 2015.

Why MUST I buy UK Duty Stamps?

The UK Duty Stamps Scheme is UK law and applies to spirits or fortified wines with a strength of 30% alcohol by volume (ABV) or more, of 35 centilitres capacity or above, for consumption in the UK.

Each bottle that you send must have a duty stamp indicating that excise duty has either been paid, or is due to be paid, before it is released onto the UK market. It is your responsibility to pay for duty stamps.

This applies equally to bottles being used as tasting samples in the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) that meet the above criteria.

The ISC is delighted to offer a Duty Stamp service to make the process easier for you. When you enter the competition, simply opt to pay £20 extra per bottle and we will organise for Duty Stamps to be applied at our warehouse. This cost will include the UK duty, taxes and administration fees. You will be responsible for the shipping costs.

Please remember that you need to send two bottles per tasting entry.

It is an offence in UK law to avoid the payment of these taxes on samples.

If you wish to speak to us about any of the above, please call Helen Fallowell, International Spirits Challenge on +44 (0) 1293 590 050.

If bottles for the ISC 2015 arrive which do not have UK duty stamps we will invoice you for the cost of providing the duty stamps. The invoice must be paid before the competition takes place or your entry may be withdrawn. In this instance, no refund will be made.

The Commissioners of HMR&C require evidence of payment of duties and VAT as enshrined in The Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and enforced by The Customs & Excise Management Act 1979. Procedures to achieve this are stipulated in the Customs Tariff and Public Notices covering alcoholic products. It is an offence to avoid the payment of these taxes on samples. Further guidance may be obtained from the HMR&C National Advice Service - telephone 08450 109000.

The Commissioners of HMR&C require evidence of payment of duties and VAT as enshrined in The Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and enforced by The Customs & Excise Management Act 1979. Procedures to achieve this are stipulated in the Customs Tariff and Public Notices covering alcoholic products. It is an offence to avoid the payment of these taxes on samples. Further guidance may be obtained from the HMR&C National Advice Service - telephone 08450 109000.

Where do I send my samples?

PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW:

1) All bottles MUST be accompanied by a pro forma invoice with a nominal value of £1 per bottle and the statement "for tasting purposes only; not for resale". This is for the purpose of paying UK VAT. Please ensure all deliveries are labelled with the name of the submitter and 'International Spirits Challenge 2015'.

2) Please quote and enclose your invoice/receipt number when sending any sample bottles. You can find this number at the top right hand corner of your invoice.

3) All bottles delivered to the ISC must be accompanied by a label translating the brand name into English where appropriate.